Video grabbed from the flight tracking app shows the moment contact was lost with MH17 (shown in red, below). At 15.21 BST, the aircraft was flying at 33,000 feet.

Moments later, all contact was lost.

The airline is reported to have been struck by a surface-to-air missile. It fell from the skies shortly afterwards, leaving a trail of devastation across the fields of Eastern Ukraine.

298 people are reported to have lost their lives in the tragedy.

Flight tracker apps like Flightradar24, FlightTrack and Flight Aware have boomed in popularity in recent years, bringing live flight information - such as location, altitude, speed and routes - into the pockets of smartphone users around the world.

Flightradar24 showing empty airspace over Ukraine

The above screengrab shows empty airspace over Eastern Ukraine, which has been closed until further notice. Airlines from all over the world have altered their flight plans in the wake of the disaster.